MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54-for-162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9-for-19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2/3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.

If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.

Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1/3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.

Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2-for-2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES: The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off today and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off today as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

There is the quick update of the day.

MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead.
Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.
If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.
The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.
Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.
Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES

The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off Thursday as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.
If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.
The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.
Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.
Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES

The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off Thursday as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

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Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Baseball Writer

MINNEAPOLIS – Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints were all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.

If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.

Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.

Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES: The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery … Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” Pedroia, however, came on to pinch hit in the eighth inning with the game still tied at 2 … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan … Perkins has given up five runs – four earned – in his last three appearances. He had an 11-appearance scoreless streak before that … The Red Sox are off Thursday and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Darnell McDonald(notes) hit a two-run homer into the upper deck
in left field to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on
Tuesday night.

David Ortiz(notes) gave the Sox the lead for good on an infield single with the
bases loaded in the seventh inning and Jonathan Papelbon(notes) picked up his 26th
save.

Erik Bedard(notes) gave up two runs on three hits with six strikeouts in five
innings in his second start since coming to Boston in a trade with Seattle.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka(notes) had a double and an RBI for the Twins, who lost their
sixth straight game. Francisco Liriano(notes) walked a career-high seven and allowed
three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in six innings.

Matt Albers(notes) (4-3) gave up one run in one inning of relief for the win,
helping the Red Sox move to 2 1/2 games up on the Yankees in the AL East after New
York lost at home to the Angels.

Matt Capps(notes) (3-6) took the loss for the Twins after giving up one run on one
hit and walking two in one inning. Minnesota’s pitchers walked nine and its
hitters whiffed 10 times in the game.

In an odd twist of events, the game featured two unexpected power surges
from a pair of light hitters, and a nubber from the biggest man in the ballpark
that proved to be the biggest hits in the game.

McDonald, who entered the game hitting .165 with three homers on the season,
got a hanging slider from Liriano that he put into the upper deck in left field
to tie the game 2-2 in the fifth inning.

Nishioka was hitting just .215 with just four extra-base hits and 14 RBIs
this season when the day started. He struck out in his first two at-bats before
sending a pitch from Matt Albers high off the out-of-town scoreboard in
right-center field for an RBI double that tied the game 3-3 in the sixth.

The Red Sox reclaimed the lead in the seventh when they loaded the bases for
Ortiz. The big lefty hit a dribbler up the first baseline, but Twins lefty Phil
Dumatrait(notes) fell flat on his face as he bent down to pick up the ball, and
everyone was safe on a play that was ruled an infield single.

The free-swinging Twins had just one walk in their previous 182 plate
appearances when they stepped to the plate in the first inning against Bedard.
But they walked four times in their two-run first, including a bases loaded free
pass to Delmon Young(notes), who had walked 15 times in 314 plate appearances this
season.

Bedard settled down after that 37-pitch first inning, keeping the Twins off
the board with just two hits over his final four innings.

NOTES: Twins DH Jim Thome(notes) walked for the 1,708th time in his career in the
first inning, tying him with Mel Ott for eighth on baseball’s career list. …
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said reliever Bobby Jenks(notes), who is on the disabled
list with a back injury, was released from the hospital on Tuesday after
spending a few days there because of an illness. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia(notes)
walked three times. … The Twins placed RHP Scott Baker(notes) on the DL with a
strained right elbow. … Twins CF Denard Span(notes) got a rare day off after starting
the home stand 0-for-12. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Span was still
getting his timing down after being out with a concussion. … LHP Jon Lester(notes)
(11-5, 3.23) takes the mound for the Red Sox in the series finale on Wednesday
night against RHP Nick Blackburn(notes) (7-9, 4.58). Lester’s 6.61 ERA in three career
starts in Minnesota is his second-highest in a visiting AL city next to Kansas
City (7.20). … Had Baker not been placed on the disabled list, Blackburn may
have been pitching for his job. In his last eight starts, Blackburn is 3-5 with
an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings.

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Where: Fenway Park.

When: Monday through Thursday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio will do all four games, WKYC Ch. 3 Thursday; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: RHP Josh Tomlin (11-5, 4.01) vs. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 6.20) Monday at 7:10; LHP David Huff (1-1, 0.71) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-4, 2.17) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.; RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-9, 4.67) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (6-4, 5.06) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. and RHP Justin Masterson (8-7, 2.57) vs. LHP Jon Lester (10-4, 3.23) Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

Season series: Indians lead Boston, 4-2. Indians lead, 1,019-956, overall.

Indians update: They just ended a 2-6 homestand in which they were no-hit, shut out twice and scored 15 total runs. They went 11-15 in July after a 10-17 June. They’re hitting .202 (47-for-201) against Boston, but still lead the season series. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers and 7 RBI against the Red Sox.

Red Sox update: They’ve won 11 of their last 15 games. They’ve outscored the Indians, 25-19. Beckett is 1-1 and Lester 1-0 against the Tribe this year. Carl Crawford is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and three RBI against the Indians.

Injuries: Indians — CF Grady Sizemore (right knee, hernia), RF Shin-Soo Choo (left thumb) and OF Trevor Crowe (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. Red Sox — RHP Clay Buchholz (back), RHP Bobby Jenks (back), SS Jed Lowrie (left shoulder), OF J.D. Drew (left shoulder), LHP Rich Hill (left elbow), RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (right elbow) are on the disabled list.

Next: Indians open three-game series against Texas on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

That’s all for today.

CHICAGO — Jon Lester pitched eight strong innings Saturday night and the Boston Red Sox got homers from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis and three RBIs from Marco Scutaro in a 10-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

It was Boston’s first win in its last eight games against the White Sox.

Lester (11-4), in his second start since coming off the disabled list (strained latissimus), allowed two runs and four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to get his first victory since June 30. He lost the shutout in the seventh when Paul Konerko hit his 25th homer and also gave up a solo shot to Gordon Beckham in the eighth.

Boston put it away with five runs in the top of the ninth. The Red Sox finished with 15 hits.

Gonzalez hit his 18th homer in the ninth, a two-run shot off reliever Brian Bruney, and now has 89 RBIs this season. Youkilis then followed with his 15th homer to push the lead to six. Jarrod Saltalamacchia added an RBI double and Scutaro a run-scoring single.

Boston broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with four runs against Phil Humber (8-7) as Carl Crawford singled, stole second and reached third on catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s throwing error. Saltalamacchia hit an RBI double, moved to third on a bunt single by Josh Reddick and scored on Scutaro’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a single and stole second, putting runners at second and third before Dustin Pedroia hit another sacrifice fly for a three-run cushion. After Gonzalez was walked intentionally, Youkilis hit a broken-bat liner that went off third baseman Brent Morel’s glove for an RBI single that ended Humber’s night.

Scutaro added an RBI single to right center in the eighth as Reddick scored all the way from first when Beckham couldn’t handle a late throw from center fielder Alex Rios.

Humber, who was Chicago’s most consistent starter in the first half of the season, hadn’t pitched since July 17. He’d been assigned temporarily to the bullpen after a rainout forced the White Sox to rearrange their rotation and to give him some rest. He didn’t see any work as a reliever, and now has lost his last three starts, giving up 24 hits and 14 earned runs in 14 innings.

Humber surrendered six hits and the four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

NOTES: White Sox general manager Ken Williams said it’s unlikely the team will be making any more trades before today’s deadline. … The Red Sox announced they had signed catcher Jordan Weems, a third-round draft pick this year, and also third baseman Nick Moore, who was selected in the 30th round. … Konerko’s homer was the 390th of his career. It ties him with Graig Nettles for 53rd place on the all-time list. … Mike Aviles, acquired earlier in the day from Kansas City, played third for the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth. … Frasor earlier made his White Sox debut by pitching two-thirds of an inning.

Sox acquire Aviles

CHICAGO — The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Mike Aviles from the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, giving up infielder Yamaico Navarro and minor-league pitcher Kendal Volz in the trade.

Aviles was batting .222 with five home runs and 31 RBIs in 53 games with the Royals. He’s expected to fill a utility infielder’s role with the Red Sox. Aviles spent part of the season at Triple-A Omaha and had been unhappy with his lack of playing time since being recalled July 20.

He’ll give the Red Sox some insurance until Jed Lowrie comes off the disabled list. Lowrie, sidelined by a sore shoulder, will begin a rehab assignment Monday.

“A guy I think our organization has kinda liked from afar for a while,” Boston manager Terry Francona said of Aviles.

“He’s that guy who can really hit left-handers, actually both, but the ability to play short, second, third. … He can run, hit the ball out of the ballpark. How we would use him, I don’t know. Some of this is probably going to depend on Jed because Jed isn’t too far away,” Francona added. “But he seems excited to be here and we’re happy to have him. At some point, I think we’d like to get him to the outfield because I think we think he can do it. He hasn’t done that yet, but we’ll see.”

Navarro was hitting .216 in 16 games with the Red Sox.

Report: Sox get Harden

CHICAGO — The Red Sox may have found their pitcher.

With the trade deadline looming at 4 p.m. today, the Sox reportedly acquired Rich Harden from the Oakland Athletics in a deal involving first baseman Lars Anderson, according to a report on NESN Saturday night. The trade is pending a physical. Anderson was removed from Saturday night’s game at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Harden, 29, is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA in five starts for the Athletics since coming off the disabled list. In his last three starts, he has been sharp, allowing seven runs on 12 hits and striking out 22 in 18 1/3 innings against the Angels, Yankees and Rays.

Injuries have long been an issue for Harden, who has made 25 or more starts in a season only twice since 2005. But he worked with Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young in Oakland, and the club likely feels confident that he can stay healthy for the season’s final two months.

— Boston Herald

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Boston Red Sox have placed right-handed pitcher Bobby Jenks on the disabled list with back tightness and have recalled left-handed reliever Randy Williams from Triple-A Pawtucket.

This is Jenks’ third trip to the DL this season, all due to the same injury.

“Bobby experienced pain in his left mid-back area when he was warming up (Friday night), similar to the past injury,” explained manager Terry Francona. “He’s going to fly back to Boston today and we’re going to get him checked over the weekend.”

Since the club signed Jenks as a free agent last December, the Red Sox have yet to see him be as effective as they were hoping.

“Not yet,” Francona said. “That’s an important part of our bullpen, that complement to (Daniel) Bard, or in the seventh inning, or however you want to put it. Fortunately, (Matt) Albers has been tremendous and (Alfredo) Aceves, too. But that other arm is a huge arm.

“His ability to pitch, and he’s not just a thrower. He can manipulate the ball, he spins it and has a good feel for the game, but we haven’t had him out there healthy. We miss that.”

Jenks is 2-2 with a 6.32 ERA in 19 games this season.

Williams, 35, is in his 12th pro season and his first in the Red Sox organization after signing as a minor league free agent last December. He’s been on the disabled list twice this season with a shoulder injury.

“He’s been dominating left-hand hitters,” Francona said. “His velocity has been tremendous and it gives us that second lefty where we can match up. His true calling is matching up against lefties and we’ve wanted to get a look at him anyway. He’s that guy who you send to Triple A and say, ‘Do your job and you never know.’ And here it is.”

Lefties were 3 for 22 off Williams, as he’s allowed only three hits, two earned runs, three walks and six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched. At the time of his call-up, Williams had pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his last three appearances with three saves and four strikeouts for the PawSox.

“I’m very excited. I was a little bit surprised when I got the call,” he said.

He has 90 games of major league experience with Seattle (2004), San Diego (2005), Colorado (2005) and the Chicago White Sox (2009-10) for a career 3-3 record with a 5.74 ERA.

“I was hoping I would get a chance,” Williams said. “When the season started and you’ve got (Hideki) Okajima and (Rich) Hill on your team, and when Tommy Hottovy comes up and does what he did, I couldn’t be upset, especially the way I started the year on the DL. When I got the call, with the guys I was playing with, I was probably as shocked as all of y’all.”

In other injury news, there is not yet a timetable on a possible return for Clay Buchholz.

“Inch by inch,” Buchholz said. “It’s taking longer than I thought it would. This sucks. Obviously I want to be pitching and I want to help the team in any way I can. But going out there not 100 percent, or 80 percent, isn’t going to help the team.”

He received a cortisone injection on July 5 and he admits that it’s helped, but he can still feel the discomfort in the muscle.

“There is no schedule. It’s all how he feels. (Friday) he felt better than he thought he was going to after the layoff and the plane ride and everything,” said Francona. “It’s all dependent on how he feels because if there’s a schedule that has a chance to mess him up.”

Joe McDonald covers the Red Sox for ESPNBoston.com.

Follow Joe McDonald on Twitter: @espnJoeyMac

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Now that we have looked at what each American League team has done in the first half, we can start to take a look at what some of the contenders should do at the trade deadline. I came across an interesting article like this over at Hardballtalk.com, and they focused in on what the BoSox should do between now and the July 31st MLB trade deadline.

The good folks over at HBT and I agree that the number one concern on this team is starting pitching. Not because it has been horrible, but because of the loss of Daisuke to Tommy John surgery. On top of that, two of their other starting pitches are on the disabled list, and that is a problem. The folks over there think they should target Matt Garza, and that would be great but I don’t see the Tampa Bay Rays letting him go. HBT goes as far as to predict a deal that could land them Garza. I am not going to go that far.

I think they need to pick up one or two back of the rotation starters to shore up what they have until players return from injury. I do not have a specific target in mind, just an idea of a guy who can give them a quality start every fifth day. Like every other team in contention they could use some bullpen help, and that is something of an old bit as contending teams always look to stock up bullpen help for their stretch runs.

I think with the Carl Crawford injuries, the looks to already be retired struggles of JD Drew, and the struggles of Josh Reddick to pick up the slack for each of them that this team should look to bring in some OF help as well.

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David Ortiz connected on a big swing early, then missed with a flurry of late ones.

Big Papi hit a three-run homer as the Boston Red Sox scored eight times in the first inning of a 10-3 win over Baltimore on Friday night. In the eighth, he whiffed on a few punches during a bench-clearing brawl with Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg.

Ortiz and Gregg exchanged several wild punches, both coming close but not quite connecting in what could have turned into an even uglier scene as the benches and bullpens cleared for the second time in the inning.

“I think you show them that we’re not backing down. We’re not scared of them — them and their $180 million payroll,” said Gregg, who angered Ortiz with back-to-back inside pitches. “We don’t care. We’re here to play the game. We have just as much right to play the game here and we’re going to do everything we can to win.”

Gregg said he yelled at Ortiz for not running toward first on a popout, which apparently enraged Ortiz. Gregg, whose team was about to lose its fifth straight in another blowout, was ready when Big Papi charged.

“I was actually watching the ball and then you look down and there’s two humongous guys going at it,” Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. “In that situation you just try to support your teammates and you try to break it up. That’s pretty much it.”

Plate umpire Mike Estabrook immediately ejected Gregg when he started shouting — and Ortiz quickly changed course, charging toward the mound. Gregg and Ortiz each threw a few haymakers, but the heavyweight bout was swallowed up by the mass of players rushing onto the field.

“They’re going to whine and complain about it because they think they’re better than everybody else, but no, we have just as much right to pitch inside as they do. This is a team sport. I take offense to every run scored off every one of our pitchers. I take offense to every one of our hitters that’s hit every time I’m out there,” Gregg said. “You get tired of getting your butt kicked every night when you come in here and I’m going to stick up for what’s ours and try to get the plate back.”

It took more than 15 minutes to restore order and sort out the ejections. Gregg and Ortiz were tossed, as well as Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Baltimore reliever Jim Johnson.

Ortiz did not speak to reporters after the game.

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said he didn’t want to talk about who said what that set off the melee.

“It’s a game played by passionate men that care about what they’re doing and we’re kind of wounded right now. I’m sure he took some exception to swinging 3-0 there and I’m sure (Ortiz) took some exception to trying to pitch him in,” Showalter said. “It’s part of the game.”

The Orioles, who allowed 10 or more runs for the fourth time in five games, were flustered after the Red Sox sent 13 batters to the plate in the opening inning and tagged starter Zach Britton for seven earned runs on six hits and two walks. Ortiz hit a three-run shot.

It was Boston’s fourth straight win, and it extended Baltimore’s losing streak to five.

Britton (6-7) didn’t even make it through the inning, getting pulled with two outs after Jacoby Ellsbury blooped an RBI single in his second at-bat.

“It was tremendous. Those things don’t happen very often,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

The outburst of runs was plenty for Josh Beckett (8-3), who allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings. Beckett was having problems with the wet dirt on the mound after a steady rain fell early in the game and he didn’t return for the sixth. Having already lost another starter to the disabled list this week, the Red Sox were not risking Beckett’s health so close to the All-Star break.

The Red Sox said Beckett mildly hyperextended his left knee and removed him for precautionary reasons.

Beckett said he didn’t expect to miss the All-Star Game.

He was already in line for the win after Boston’s huge first inning, then Pedroia added a run in the sixth with a solo homer that was kept inside Fenway Park only by a sign above the left-field wall. Pedroia knocked one all the way out of the venue on Thursday in Boston’s 10-4 win.

Boston reached 10 runs again Friday on Josh Reddick’s RBI triple in the eighth.

Baltimore finally scored in the fifth on Derek Lee’s solo homer and RBI singles later in the inning from Nick Markakis and Adam Jones.

Brad Bergesen, who relieved Britton in the first, was knocked out of the game when he took a line drive from Ortiz off his pitching arm. The ball bounced hard off Bergesen’s right forearm and rolled quickly to the third base line.

Bergesen chased down the ball and walked back to the mound, but didn’t throw another pitch and headed back to the dugout with a trainer as right-hander Chris Jakubauskas was called in from the bullpen. The Orioles said Bergesen had a bruised right forearm.

It was that kind of night for the Orioles.

Boston already led 1-0 when Ortiz came to bat with two on and hit a shot well into the right-field seats on a 1-0 pitch.

NOTES: Yamaico Navarro, an infielder who played both in left and right field in Triple-A this year, made his major league outfield debut Friday, playing left field. Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he saw Navarro shagging fly balls during spring training and was impressed enough to know he’d be able to do it in the major leagues. … Baltimore OF Luke Scott, placed on the disabled list earlier this week with a right (non-throwing) shoulder strain, had an MRI that showed no extensive damage. Showalter said Scott will receive a cortisone injection Monday and be on target to return from the DL at the end of his 15 days. … Boston 3B Kevin Youkilis was picked to replace ailing Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez on the AL All-Star roster.

Gotta run!.

Date: Wednesday Jul. 6, 2011 8:03 AM ET

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